Friday 2 December 2011

artmachine: Why Buy, When You Can Make?

artmachine: Why Buy, When You Can Make?: In the middle of a life full of high-stress jobs and tight-packed, busy schedules, blackberrys, status updates and tweets that most of you o...

Why Buy, When You Can Make?

In the middle of a life full of high-stress jobs and tight-packed, busy schedules, blackberrys, status updates and tweets that most of you out there may be leading, I am about to make a wild suggestion. If you follow a gifting tradition during Christmas and New Year- why not take a little time out of your bsy days and make some nice little gifts for your loved ones instead of buying things off the racks from some gift shop? Its old fashioned, yet so charming.

It doesn’t take much really…a bit of enthusiasm, mixed with some inspiration and one lazy, easy afternoon. And if you have all of that, then here’s a little idea to get you started. It is winter and may be just the right time to make a silk scarf for your friend or sister or colleague?

I just made this one:

And here’s how I did it.

I got pure satin silk from the store, and some complementing acrylic colour. I drew a pattern all over and filled in the pattern with gentle rush strokes. Once the painting was done, I got some matching border from the store and got that stitched to all four sides of the scarf. A gorgeous silk scarf was ready…all handmade and luxurious.

You can do it too. What joy it would bring to someone who you gift something like this. In the age of Archies Galleries and glitzy malls, something thing like this could sound like from the Grannies times…but hey, some things never lose their charm- like a handmade gift, made for someone with love...and coming straight from the heart. So go ahead, try making one and send me pictures, And if you love the idea, want a hand-painted scarf or stole and yet too lazy to make it…let me know, I will do it for you.
http://www.sharmilabhowmick.com/



Tuesday 29 November 2011

artmachine: It’s That RED Time Of The Year Again

artmachine: It’s That RED Time Of The Year Again: If you are a nesting type like me, you must have already made your home cushioned and comfortable for this winter; your carpets are vacuum...

Monday 28 November 2011

It’s That RED Time Of The Year Again



If you are a nesting type like me, you must have already made your home cushioned and comfortable for this winter; your carpets are vacuumed and quilts and pillows dry-cleaned and fluffy, and the house winter-proofed with all the nooks and crannies made air tight and dust free. Now if you have any energy left, then here's a little inspiration to turn your already neat home to a cheerful den full of high spirits and all set for the Christmas season and the year-end. And how do you plan to do it? Well what you need indeed is a splash of colour and small little changes to glam up your comfy home to a splendid indoors hideout.
I have a trick up my sleeve for this time of the year, I bring out my gorgeous red silk curtains, and splash the upholstery with bits of red here and there…it acts like an immediate pick p for my black and white and dark brown décor. Combined with some red wall art like Everywoman from my gallery http://www.sharmilabhowmick.com/gallery.html , some red candles on the table…a few red cushions in various shapes and colours…and the simple black-white décor is instantly transformed by a couple of notches worth of glam.
Try it yourself, it’s not back breaking to achieve and the best part is that while including red in your décor with wall paper or wall paint could be a challenge to live with when your love for the colour wears off in springtime or summer, with upholstery or knick knacks, all it takes is just to bring them down, wrap fold and pack away.
But for now, live up to the Christmas spirit…and splash away with happy RED.

If you have some great RED ideas, do share with me at art.machine.india@gmail.com.

http://www.sharmilabhowmick.com/

Saturday 15 October 2011

Make Your Own Art




This really defeats my purpose.


Believe me, I want to sell my paintings from my art site(http://www.sharmilabhowmick.com/) and get loads of orders to paint more and more…but at the same time, I do think that that there are many interesting ways in which you can make your own personalized art to do up your house, and buying a pieve of art for your home is not the only way you could bring in an aesthetic touch to your living space. (if you are a serious collector, you will have to excuse me on this suggestion though). To make your own art, all you need is time, inspiration and some jolly good ideas.


Here, let me help you light that spark, so that this weekend, instead of crawling to the nearest mall and spending your afternoon you bring out your scissors, buy a batch of colours, get some glue and sit down to make your own art project for your house and awaken your inner artist.
Personalised art is so much fun, especially if you have kids around (my one and half year old toddler has her own sense of creating art…she goes about scribbling on the walls with her crayons). So here’s what you will need to get started:
The first thing that one would need before creating anything of course is a subject. Decide on a nice subject for your art project. If it’s a family thing, you could bring out old letters, cards, family pictures, mementos…all together and then start with it. Make small notes about these mementos, and in a scrap book style, paste them on a board or a stretched canvas. Now add some colour to the remaining white parts…so that the material that you have put on the scrap book and the paintings gel in.
Bring some other craft material to jazz up this little piece of art: buttons, spangles, tiny décor everything works. Now finally let it all dry and set…and in just a couple of house you have your art project ready. Now get it framed and hang on a wall. This will always be special…your own family art project.
And yes, if you do attempt it, don’t forget to send pictures…to art.machine.india@gmail.com. I will post them this blog which also features on my art site (http://www.sharmilabhowmick.com/).

Sunday 24 April 2011

Sleep Well



Summer makes me sleepy; especially after a hearty lunch. Today happens to be Sunday and just before dropping off to a weekly afternoon siesta I thought I’d share some tips on how to make your bedroom a drop-dead-snooze-zone. There are many little details that can change the destiny of your afternoon rest from an ordinary shut-eye session to deep restful slumber.  So just look around your bedroom and check its SQ or Sleepiness Quotient and see how it scores.

Sleepy Settings
The Tint Factor
Bright colours stimulate your senses. So your reds, yellows and oranges best be kept outside your bedroom as they can bring in too much energy into your room and interfere with the restful lull that you want to create in the room. Wall paper in pale shades and delicate patters work very well in bedrooms and lend it that personal touch so important in creating a personal space. Use shades of blue, lilac and pink for your bedroom.
Window Dressing
During the winter it is not unusual for even the most conservative of us to dabble in the reds and purples; but come summer and those very shades begin to make you restless. To bring in a fresh lease of life and a breezy feeling and yet, keep the harsh sunlight away, do up your windows in florals and mix them with translucent screens. If you want to keep the curtains in pale shades, just get them lined with dark material to keep the light away.  But if your curtains can’t stop the sun at all, then try the time-tested get bamboo screens – they will never go out of fashion.

Gadgets Gadgets
Everybody knows about it, magazines write about it and being an ardent Fengshui practitioner, I've a special explanation for it, but whatever may be the explanation: gadgets do interfere with your sleep. In Fengshui terms they bring in 'Yang' energy into your bedroom which is supposed to evoke 'Yin' energy. So leave your laptops, I pads, chargers, cable, cell phones in the study or in the hall. Don’t get them in. If watching TV from the bed is a habit acquired over time at least draw a cloth cover over it before hitting the pillow.
Lull A By
What you can get in really is a decent music player with soft numbers, and if insomnia is a problem and your head is all up in knots, try natural sounds of springs, waterfalls and rain.
White Noise Here’s a trick that works like a dream and I use it to soothe my toddler quite often. Try and download a few hours of white noise: vacuum cleaner sounds, fans or any noise that can completely blur your mind into slumber.
Cotton Country 
The thicker the weave of your cotton linen bed cover, the kinder they are to your skin. So invest in good quality linen, they are worth every dime you spend on them.
PJs
People generally have their favourite pair of shorts, pajamas, t shirts that they swear by to get into the mood for some rest. But here again, wear clothes made of natural fibre, which fit loosely and let you stretch your limbs as you sleep. They should cover you enough to neither make you feel hot or cold . In an air-conditioned room, try to cover up and sleep to avoid dry skin and not to make you feel too cold.


Hot/ColdToo much air cooling does create dryness, so try and use a humidifier once in a while. Do not set the temperature too low. Just make it cool enough to induce sleep.
Magic!Even if all the settings don’t help…there are some more tips: certain crystals like the grounding stone called black tourmaline and amethyst induce sleep if kept close to your bed or under a pillow. Aromas like Clary Sage help in the same way.
I hope this inspires you to cut out the distractions and catch up on your sleep. And now please allow me to...zzzzzzzzzz...

Sharmila Bhowmick



Monday 4 April 2011

Beauty Bath


A 10-minute shower or a 40-minute luxurious bath – each to us own, but one rule does fit all.  We all like a clean,  dry and tidy bathroom. Crunch for space and modern apartment design has brought down the size of our toilets and bathrooms making the usuage of space crucial and keeping it clutter-free ever so important. But you only need to follow a few tips to  get your own rejuvinating and healing bathroom space. Here’s how:




Colour Is The Key
Remember: colour is the key. Choose a colour-scheme for your toilet/bath and work around it. Choose colours that calm you down and refresh at the same time. Powder blue, lavender, white, pink and lime green are among the preferred colours for a relaxing batchroom space. Mix, match a single colour tone or two to choose tiles, accessories, wall fittings, mats, towels. A single pastel shade would give your toilet a sense of space.

Store in Style
Make sure, you have your supply of soaps, blades, paste, brushes, shampoo, bodywahes etc in a separate shelf in your toilet yourself, also fresh rolls of toilet paper, handtowels etc so that if you are in the middle ofa shower and have run out of shampoo, you can find it handy. The best method is to keep one set of toiletries spare and handy while using another. This would prevent early morning, toothpaste crisis. Use wall-cabinets to keep your floorspace free, make use of the space uder the sink to build storage space. Small niches within the tiled-wall itself can be used to keep toiletriesmof daily use handy.

Light some, hide some
Who said your bathroom has to be stark and bright? Use functional light fittings. A spotlight above the sink mirror, subdued ceiling/ wall lights for the rest of it. This would add glamour to your bathroom no matter what the size.

Spic n Span
There is no point in decorating your toilet and leaving it wet and musty. A regular and thorough weekly deep cleaning of the toilet pot and sink and bathroom tiles is a must. See to it that towels are washed and sun dried regularly, the toilet floor is dry; wipe the shower cabinet immedoately after a shower. In case you have a jacuzzi, see that the water is drained and the cabinet cleaned after use so that it doesn’t develop any odour. Pick and throw any hair strand immediately after shower so your toilet drains remain unclogged.

Tease the Senses
Keep your toilet/bathroom smelling good. Using naphthalene balls for deodorizing may be a practical solution, but if you want to turn your toilet into a healing space that helps you destress, keep an oil burner and burn your favourite aroma oil or aroma candles of your choice. It will soothe your nerves during a warm shower and also keep the bathroom smelling great.

Reading Time?
Believe it or not, people do take their reading to the toilets. If you are one of them, keep a wall shelf for your magazines or digests that you love to browse through while on the pot or in the bath. But do clear out these magazines regularly  and bring in fresh ones or the toilet humidity can end up giving you a pile of damp pages.

Wash & Dry
Shower curtains, floor mats, shower caps: wash regularly and Hang. Remember a germ-free toilet is most important for the hyegene quotient of your living space.

Quick Tips:. Stick to a color scheme harmonizing the fixtures, cabinets and wall colors to give a sense of space
. Using wall mounted WC rather than floor mounted so that the floors are clean
. Install glass partitions in bathing area to avoid spilling of water
. Hidden wall cisterns may be used to keep the water closet area clutter free and clean
. Provide small niches or open shelves on walls to store daily used stuffs appropriately
. The vanity under the wash basin counter should be well planned keeping in mind individual's storage needs.



Thursday 31 March 2011

His Vs Hers


Décor Dilemma
How to share space with your partner


He just doesn’t get why she is so obsessed with home furnishings, he is surprised that she finds his way of living disruptive to her plans of sharing space. And here the battle begins! And this is where we come in – to help Mr Mars and Ms Venus find the way to convivial cohabitation. 




The Root of Turf War:  Battle Of The Sexes

Believe it or not home décor has been a pretty old factor in the battle of the sexes and here’s why: Delhi-based designer, Neeraj Sood of Spaces Talk explains, “Just as men and women are different in their preferences in life, they have very different concepts of spaces in their home. Women will be very particular about their kitchen, dining spaces and the living rooms (where most of the guests will come), but the men will be more concerned with their corners, bar areas, relaxing zones, bedrooms and bathrooms. So each share and have different concepts for their own particular spaces.”

“Do we really need so many throw pillows? Can’t they be thrown out?"

Wake up call ladies. Home and especially the living area for men is the lounging space. They would rather use it for keeping their entertainment gadgets and put their feet up and relax after a long day. So cushions especially sequined or spangelled only makes them feel stiff in their own house. But how do you strike a balance? Designer Anjali Goel, owner of La Sorogeeka suggests: “Instead of filling the floor and couch with excessive pillows you can add just a few cushions with nice throw which would give the woman of the home a dressy feel and man a comfort that they require. The other option is to add too big shams with appliqué to make the place look highlighted as well as comfortable.”

“What are our cushions so prickly?” He throws a fit!

Once again ladies, while  you may be more concerned about the way your home looks, your partner may be more concerned with the way it ‘feels’. Silks and sequins may be your way of doing up a lavish drawing room, but to your man, it could just be too limiting. Anjali Goel has some happy alternative for you: “Instead of using sequins and zari work on upholstery, you can upholster the furniture with cloth-on-cloth designs like appliqué and woven material like chenyle. There is foiled fabric also available in market which is soft & comfortable to sit and gives the glitz and glamour experience. Also, you can use zari & sequins work on cushions for the formal drawing room and let the other spaces be more comfortable”.

“Don’t you think lazing around on weekends was bad enough? Why did we need a fat lazyboy?” She’s at wit’s end.

Home is where Mr Mars likes to don his favourite pair of shorts, put up his feet and watch movies or play games. Do not remind him that he has been sitting in his lazyboy for the last five hours and that half the weekend is almost gone. But what irritates you more than anything else is the way in which the living area lies splattered with DVD jackets, magazines and cable. So the best way to deal with this would be to create separate space for the man and his hobbies. Create space for entertainment and call it the gaming room for instance. But if it has to be the living room then Anjali also has a solution: “In the home theatre you can add a lush carpet with a lamp to make it look inviting. Lighting plays a important role, therefore infusing mood lighting to the area gives a warm look. You should opt for a cabinet which can be designed as wall treatment and can fit in electronic equipments systematically in an aesthetic way.”

“Why do our bedside tables look like antique shop windows?” He quizzes.

 Fancy boxes to keep your earrings; or tiny trays to hold your crystals may be what you like to see around yourself in the bedroom, but chances are that your man might find them too feminine and restrictive. The best way to deal with is take a hard look at the stuff that you think you simply cannot do without and organize your bedside or the bedroom shelves or tables. Keep what you simply must keep and keep the tables clutter- free. Also, strike a balance by bringing in more ‘male’ material by mixing in leather, fur or stone accessories with candles etc. so that it does not give a feminine look.

“Flowers, Aroma-candles, Incense, Lamps: Are you into Voodoo?” He laughs.

It will be wrong to suggest that most men really do not care whether their houses smell of stale tobacco or fresh flowers; but indeed most of the boys would be clueless if you replace your vanilla candles from the bedside with lavender ones. This is one area in which you can simply indulge your senses, go pick up candles or essential oils and lamp burners of your choice and create the ambience you desire. And don’t worry, if Mr Mars doesn’t really like something, he would ask you to change it anyway.

“I said beige! But this is an yellow couch! Are you colour-blind?” She despairs.

You may sweat for hours over the right shade of beige for that coffee table top, what really matters to him is the shape/ size or just how much space it would take up in the study. There is no point cribbing about it. Make peace. Go for the middle path. You choose the colour while he chooses the shape. When it comes to upholstery- if you are more of a red or orange person and the colours he is comfortable are more towards the shades of green, or blue. Here’s how you can create harmony: mix and match. Shop for your home by keeping in mind both your preferences, so that home seems warm and welcoming to both of you. Architect and designer, Saudamini Singhania, Partner, Spaces thinks along same line: “Even if you have different views on the type of furniture, furnishing or the colour scheme, you may still find it exciting to design the place by going ahead with one's idea of the furniture and other's idea of the colour scheme, thereby striking a cord of balance between your personalities”

“Is there anything called wardrobe-megalomania? Do you really wear all this stuff?” He asks.


Marriage and sharing space can be romantic but when it comes to the wardrobe, nothing much seems to work. Ladies, you have to agree that the sheer quantity of your clothes: office wear, casual wear; party wear; etchnic wear can be overwhelming for him and when he complains about you having too much stuff, he is probably right. Anjali suggests: “Make he & she shelves or counters wherever you need to separate stuff so that things do not mix up and get cluttered. Make your spouse feel the space belongs to him/ her too.”

“Do you know plants emit carbon-dioxide by night?” He hates indoor plants.

Greenery is for the garden. That is what most guys would like you to believe. While you may prefer to have lush foliage that greets the eye next to your lamps or windows, your partner might be more concerned about the amount of carbon dioxide your favourite palm tree might be releasing at night.  Anjali says: “Having plants indoor is a good idea but you should not overdo by making it look like nursery and use only those ornate plants which are meant for indoors taking prior advice”.

 “I’m tired of fighting. Can we please make peace?” Both seem to agree.

Even after dissolving all décor differences, there still remain some small problems of doing up your space together, then raise the white flag and take responsibilities of doing up separate spaces according to your individual choice. For instance, you could do the living room and bedroom, while he does the study and so on. But there’s one guideline from designer Neeraj Sood of Spaces Talk that all couples could use while doing up their house together so that it balances aesthetics and functionality even as it preserves their individual tastes. “Focus on the movement pattern of your house according to your use so that there is maximum utilization of space. Try and keep the interiors sleek and simple.  Every furniture piece should be proportionate to the space”.

(Parts of this post has been published by a leading national women's magazine)

Sunday 27 March 2011

Hello Summer!

Summer is almost here. For those of us in New Delhi, the sun is already quite harsh. But we still have a few weeks before things really get 'hot', and now is a great time to look around your house and summer-ize.

Here are some great ideas:

Keep It Light: This is my pet subject, but we all know consciously or unconsciously that the most important aspect of any living space is really the colour scheme. So if you have been indulging in the plums, reds, purples and dark blues in terms of curtains and covers, it is now time to bring them down or take them off. some suggestions for the summer: lime greens, pale  blues, baby pink, lavender and good old white used individually or mixed and matched can give your room, apartment or house a summery feel instantly.

Blinds: I'm a big fan of natural blinds made of bamboo or jute. If your house is particularly bright and tends to get very hot in the afternoons, a very easy solution is to get cutom made blinds made, either with the natural material like bamboo or just with thick weather resistant cloth material. fold them up early in the mornings and evenings to get in the fresh air and let them down in the afternoons to cut out the sun.

Carpets: This can be quite a chore, but indeed the heavy duty carpetting that works during the winter can actually bog down your spirits in the summer. Roll them up and better still just send them to the cleaners for the next season. Instead, get in light rugs in cheerful summery colours coordinated with your curtains and cushions and throws. This can actually transform your house.

Water: It can get very difficult to relax during a scorching summer...even with your airconditioning on, the heat can drain you. Keep your energy levels high and your interiors tranquil at the same time by bringing home a fountain. The gurgling water sound can soothe your senses as well as serve as a natural humidifier for you house.

Cotton Time: Silks, polyesters or velvets have to go now. Bring in cottons and linen for bed covers, sheets and throws. Summer is about natural material, basic colours and clean and fresh living spaces. So enjoy all things natural over the next couple of months, until monsoon rings in.

House Plants: This is also a good time to trim some of the potted ferns or palms that is growing out side of your house, shift them into pretty pots and bring them in.

In brief, just bring down and fold up and keep away anything that is too ornate and heavy. Bring in light colours, hapy prints, cool designs and turn the look of your living space around to a create a breezy feel. That could help you cool down a few degrees when the mercury hits the 40s. You will thank me for it.